This invention relates generally to wrap-around article carriers formed of paperboard or similarly foldable material, and more particularly to wrap-around carriers which have end retention structures for preventing the end articles from falling out of the carrier.
Wrap-around carriers provide an inexpensive, effective means for packaging articles, requiring blanks of only minimum size which are capable of running on packaging machines at high speeds. A wrap-around carrier is formed by wrapping a carrier blank around a group of articles such as cans, bottles or bricks and securing the ends of the blank together. Although some wrap-around carriers include integral end panels, most are open-ended. The articles are prevented from falling out through the open ends by tightly wrapping the carrier blank around them and also by providing end retention structures at the opposite ends of the carrier. A typical end retention structure consists of an anchor panel connected to an end edge of a carrier side panel, an end panel connected to an end edge of a bottom panel and a gusset panel interconnecting the anchor and end panels. The anchor panel is folded 180 degrees into face-contacting relationship with the inside surface of the associated side panel, which causes the gusset panel to pull the end panel inwardly and to erect the end panel in an upright position where the end panel engages the end article to prevent it from dislodging from the carrier. The anchor panel is held in the folded position due to the pressure of the end bottles against the anchor panel, which, in turn, retains the end panel in the erected upright position.
While such measures have been successful in containing different articles in their wrap-around carriers, there are drawbacks in the carrier forming or erecting process of the aforesaid carriers. Because the folding of the anchor panel induces not only erection of the end panel but also inward folding of the adjacent carrier bottom flap, it is required that the anchoring panel be folded only by the end user of the carrier who applies the carrier blank to a group of articles to be packaged. Such a carrier application or forming process requires use of a special machine elements that engage the anchor panel during the folding step of the adjacent bottom lap panel. The carrier forming process with such machine elements reduces the operating speed of the packaging machine, which affects the machine productivity. Further, the wrap-around carriers with the retention structures cannot run on packaging machines adjusted for those wrap-around carriers having no retention structures but retention apertures.
What is needed, therefore, is a wraparound carrier that can run on packaging machines of a basic construction that is not equipped with anchor panel folding elements.